Lake Michigan Circle Tour Part 1: Michigan Coast
It was just about the time for my vacation days at work to renew, and I still had a few waiting to be used. Since my work doesn't let them roll over, I was not about to lose them! A and I sat down to figure out a trip we could take that would be adventurous, different and somewhat close to home...and the idea of the circle tour was born! Now the circle tour is definitely not something we came up with, there is actually an official route with signs posted along the highways, and it is an annual event for motorcyclists. However, since I'm a total planner, I figured it would be fun to do some research and channeling my inner Monica Geller, I set to work creating a google map (lovingly called the crazy lady map!) with pins for different places we could stop along the way. We rented a car and decided to road trip our way through Michigan first, using my map as a loose guide and stopping to find hotels each night whenever we got sick of driving.
Holland
First stop, Holland! A tiny taste of the Dutch roots of Europe, Holland hosts a tulip show each spring and is home to the only authentic working Dutch windmill in the United States called De Zwaan Windmill. We arrived in Holland just in the nick of time to catch the last windmill tour of the day, where we had the chance to go inside the windmill and see how the miller works with the grains each day. We swung by the cute dutch gift shops to try on some wooden clogs and pick up some little trinkets. We popped over to the Big Red Lighthouse and hung around the beach for a bit before heading out towards dinner and a place to stay for the night.
Sleeping Bear Dunes
We spent the night in Traverse City, and woke up early to head over to Sleeping Bear Dunes for the morning! We drove along the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, stopping at each point to take in the sites. We let ourselves get lost hiking around in the dunes for a couple of hours. After tiring ourselves out we hopped back in the car and headed for some lunch and our next stop for the day.
Torch Lake
Torch lake is a hidden gem recommended by a friend, and I now know why! We had quite the adventure figuring out how to get there, due to the fact that we were looking for a big entrance beach and drove right by the many small public access points along the roads. Once we figured out what we were doing, we changed into our swim suits and ran into the refreshingly cold water. Once we were cold and pruney, we settled in for a picnic and then walked along the main road wandering in and out of local gift and spice shops.
Petoskey
Petoskey is a quintessential lakeside town, and it was one of A's favorite spots on this road trip. We specifically planned to stop here to hunt for Petoskey stones, something my mom told me she used to do all the time during her childhood. The rocks are actually fossilized rugose coral, most commonly found in this part of Michigan along the beach and in the sand dunes. We walked along the sand with our eyes glued to the surf and found several stones and a few other fossils!
Headlands International Dark Sky Park
It was later in the evening, and we had already checked into a kitschy little motel (complete with a mauve colored jacuzzi right next to our bed!) in Mackinaw City. We waited for the sun to start to go down and drove over to Headlands International Dark Sky Park. This is one of the first 10 international dark sky parks in the world, and was such a cool experience looking at the stars and sitting in the epic darkness. Our only mistake here was not thinking to put on bug spray, and they were out in force as soon as the sun set.
Mackinac Island
We woke up early to catch the ferry over to Mackinac Island, an absolute must-see! It's the perfect mix of touristy lake town and old school Americana, with crowds rising and falling with the ferry schedule. There are no cars allowed on the island, which adds to the overall charm. Luggage from the ferries are taken to hotels by horse drawn trailers, and everyone walks or bikes around the island! We split some cherry pie for breakfast, and then meandered around getting used to the leisurely pace of the island. In the afternoon we hiked up through Mackinac Island State Park to check out Arch Rock, a natural limestone arch framing the Lake Huron shoreline.
Munising, Upper Peninsula
After taking the ferry back to Mackinaw City, we jumped into the car and continued on north to the Upper Peninsula! We made it to our hotel for the night in the early evening, and the owner gave us some fantastic recommendations for some waterfall hikes and things to do in the area. We had just enough time before the sun went down to check out Wagner Falls, which was gorgeous! We grabbed a pack of local beer on our way back, and had a relaxed evening hanging out in our hotel room.
Pictured Rocks
The only hard-set plan we had for this road trip was Pictured Rocks. I had always seen photos of the national lakeshore, and knew this was a stop not to be missed. I found a company called Pictured Rocks Kayaking, and booked us spots for their morning kayak tour. It was a super unique way to see the famous shoreline, and you can check out the video on my Pictured Rocks post for more info! We worked up quite an appetite while kayaking, so we stopped at Muldoon's Pasties and Gifts for a taste of the very popular delicacy here in the UP. The pasties were delicious, and we gobbled them right up!
Fayette
Knowing how much I like all things spooky, a friend was sure to tell us about Fayette, a ghost town in the UP. It was once a bustling industrial town, however when the market declined in the 1800's, companies closed up shop and left the town abandoned. The remains of several buildings are still standing and there is a lot of history to soak up. We also happened to visit when there were very few other people here, so we got to enjoy the full effect of the emptiness of the town.
Kitch-iti-kipi
Our last stop before heading over the border into Wisconsin was lake Kitch-Iti-Kipi. The name means "big cold water" and this is Michigan's largest freshwater spring. We waited for a turn on the self operated raft and pulled our way out into the center of the spring. The raft is a doughnut shape with a big hole in the center, giving a perfect view of the crystal clear water and an unobstructed view straight to the bottom of the spring. We saw plenty of fish, a couple of fissures at the bottom where the water is gushing up into the spring, and also caught one sad selfie stick that someone lost to the depths!
After checking out the spring we packed up the car and said our goodbyes to Michigan. We spent the evening driving across the border to Wisconsin, eventually stopping in Green Bay to crash for the evening. Read my Wisconsin Circle Tour post to continue the road trip!
